CLINIC: Yep. Area code 651-698-2406. And they typically answer their phones between 9:00 and 4:00.

CALLER: Okay. Well, do you know if — like I’ll be 14 in March, but do you know if they would have to tell my parents or anything? Like could they just like talk to my boyfriend? He’s 22.

CLINIC: How old are you?

CALLER: I’ll be 14 in March.

CLINIC: You need both parents consent in order to get it.

CALLER: Both parents? Is there any way not to tell them because if they found out they would be, they would be really mad.

CLINIC: There is a judicial bypass that’s available. I’m not sure exactly how it works, but the Highland Clinic would be able to give you more information on that. Basically you go before a judge and plead your case and then he gives you a bypass so that you don’t have to –

CALLER: Does the judge ever say no?

CLINIC: Not that I’m aware of. I think usually we — there’s specific judges we work with that, you know, usually give them permission, so.

CALLER: Well, would it be all right to come in there and get like a pregnancy test?

CLINIC: Have you taken a positive test yet?

CALLER: Well, I took a home pregnancy test over the weekend, and it was positive. But I wasn’t sure if I did it right.

CLINIC: Well, if it came back positive then you probably did.

CALLER: Oh, all right.

CLINIC: As long as you’ve taken the positive test then that’s all that –

CALLER: I Just kind of wanted a second opinion.

CLINIC: Okay, if you want to then you can. It’s $13 through us.s

CALLER: Oh, okay, but you wouldn’t have to tell anybody if I was getting a pregnancy test?

CLINIC: No.

CALLER: Okay. Well, if it — like it’s just my boyfriend doesn’t anybody to know at all, so. I can’t let anyone know.

CLINIC: Well, we have confidentiality clauses for if you come in for a pregnancy test we can’t release that information to anybody even if you were to call.

CALLER: Okay. Oh. Well, he was also wanting to know if we could get birth control, like so — but do you guys do that there?

CLINIC: Yeah.

CALLER: And you still wouldn’t have to tell anybody about that either?

CLINIC: No.

CALLER: Okay. Well, is it okay like if he had any other questions that I didn’t think of to call you back and talk to you?

CLINIC: Yep.

CALLER: What was your name?

CLINIC: Oh, there’s only two of us up here and we can both answer questions, so it doesn’t really matter.

CALLER: Oh, well, I just like talking to you.

CLINIC: My name’s Angela, but I mean with only two of us up here –

CALLER: Yeah. Okay.

CLINIC: — it’s possible that I’ll be on the line with somebody else, but.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Okay?

CALLER: Thanks.

CLINIC: Yeah. Bye bye.

CALLER: Bye.

(phone clicks)

*** THE END ***

#286 – Planned Parenthood in St. Paul, MN

Listen to the Call:

Transcript:

RECORDING: Thank you for calling Minnesota-South Dakota’s (unclear) Highland Clinic. If this is a life-threatening emergency, hang up now and dial 911. We answer our phones Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Please listen to the following menu options. If you have a rotary phone, please hold and the first available staff member will take your call.

This clinic does surgical abortions using the vacuum aspiration method under local anesthesia. Patients must be at least six weeks from the (dial button pressed).

This clinic does surgical abortions using the vacuum aspiration method under local anesthesia. Patients must be at least six weeks from the start of their last normal menstrual period but no more than thirteen-and-a-half weeks. Medical assistance and many insurance plans pay for elective surgical abortions. If you want to use insurance to pay for your abortion, please call your insurance company to find out if they will cover an elective surgical abortion at our clinic.

To speak to a staff person, press 1 (dial button pressed).

Please hold.

(Dialing, phone ringing 1x)

CLINIC: Highland Park Planned Parenthood. This is Laura.

CALLER: Hi. I talked to Jo in Burnsville, and she told me to call you guys about having an abortion.

CLINIC: Okay. Did you listen to the recorded message?

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: Okay. And how old are you?

CALLER: I’ll be 14 in March.

CLINIC: You’ll be 14 in March?

CALLER: Uh-huh.

CLINIC: Did she tell you about the Minnesota state law which is that you have to have the notarized signature of both of your parents?

CALLER: Yeah. But she said that there was a way to get around that.

CLINIC: A judicial bypass, yes. Where are you calling from?

CALLER: I’m in Highland Park.

CLINIC: So I think before I can schedule you an appointment for the procedure itself, if you want to come in here and talk to someone, they can get you started on the judicial bypass.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: So hold on and let me grab that appointment book.

CALLER: Okay.

(Short pause)

CLINIC: Thanks for holding. Can you come in Friday morning?

CALLER: Well, I have to call my boyfriend to see. He’d be the only way I could get there. Is it all right if he signs for me or anything? Because he’s 22.

CLINIC: No. It has to be your biological parents. That’s like the law.

CALLER: But they can’t find out at all.

CLINIC: Okay. Well, then you can go through the judicial bypass. Do you know how far along you are?

CALLER: Well, not really. My last period was like the second week in December.

CLINIC: Okay. So we should get you started on this as soon as possible.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: My only appointments for this week are on Friday at 9 and 10 in the morning. Do you want to take one of those?

CALLER: Yeah.

CLINIC: And if it turns out you can’t, please call and cancel.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: What’s your name?

CALLER: It’s Christine.

CLINIC: Christine with a “C”?

CALLER: A “Ch,” yeah.

CLINIC: And what’s your last name?

CALLER: Smith.

CLINIC: What’s a phone number we can reach you at? If you don’t want us to say Planned Parenthood, we can say clinic.

CALLER: Can I give you my boyfriend’s cell phone number?

CLINIC: Sure.

CALLER: I’d have to call him and see what it is, because he just got it, and I don’t know what it is yet. Is that okay to call you back with that?

CLINIC: Just if we need to cancel or something, we could say Polly. Would that be easier?

CALLER: No, not really. No one can find out.

CLINIC: Okay. Yeah. Why don’t you call back, Christine? And if you don’t get a hold of me, just say that you’re trying to schedule a pre-court appointment.

CALLER: How much does it cost?

CLINIC: That appointment is free; however, the procedure itself if you’re under 12 weeks is $420.

CALLER: Does it cost anything for a lawyer to go to court?

CLINIC: No. I think that you can do that. You’ll have to talk to them when you come in.

CALLER: Could I come in and get a pregnancy test?

CLINIC: Have you had one?

CALLER: No.

CLINIC: Okay. Well, we charge $12 for the pregnancy test.

CALLER: Okay. But you guys wouldn’t have to tell anybody about that?

CLINIC: No.

CALLER: When do you guys normally do pregnancy tests?

CLINIC: It’s a walk-in service. You can come in today before 4 if you want to.

CALLER: Well, my boyfriend would have to bring me. If it turned out that I wasn’t pregnant, do you guys do birth control there?

CLINIC: Yes.

CALLER: Would you have to tell anybody that I was on birth control?

CLINIC: No, we’re completely confidential. After we hang up the phone we won’t discuss your appointment over the phone with anyone. No, we can’t tell anyone anything ever.

CALLER: Oh, okay.

CLINIC: It is kind of expensive to get birth control here. I might give you the name of some other clinics that have more affordable birth control because you have to have an annual exam to get birth control from our clinic.

CALLER: How much does that cost?

CLINIC: The annual exam is $90. And then every month you have to pay for birth control, and it just varies a lot on how much it cost because there’s more expensive ones and cheaper ones.

CALLER: I don’t have a job.

CLINIC: So I would try and give you the number of some other places.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Your other option, if you come in on Friday you could take a pregnancy test before your counseling appointment.

CALLER: Okay. Does it cost anything?

CLINIC: That would be $12 for the pregnancy test.

CALLER: Oh, okay.

CLINIC: Okay? Any more questions?

CALLER: No. I’ll call back.

CLINIC: You need to call and leave a phone number. And also when you come in you need to bring a photo i.d. with a date of birth and address on it. And if you’re bringing anyone with you they also have to have a photo i.d., because we’re a secure facility. You can’t enter the building.

CALLER: Oh, okay. What if I don’t have an i.d.?

CLINIC: Do you have a school i.d.?

CALLER: No.

CLINIC: Do you have your birth certificate?

CALLER: Yeah, I guess. Yeah.

CLINIC: Hold on just a second.

CALLER: Okay.

(Pause)

CLINIC: Christine, if you don’t have any photo i.d. — you don’t even have an i.d. card from your school?

CALLER: Well, I’m homeschooled.

CLINIC: Okay. You need to bring your birth certificate and a Social Security card.

CALLER: I don’t have a Social Security card either.

CLINIC: Okay. Does somebody in your family have yours?

CALLER: My mom might have one.

CLINIC: Well, then you would need to bring that.

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: Okay? So you need to call back with the phone number, because if I don’t get a phone number from you, we can’t hold the appointment, okay?

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: But otherwise, right now it’s Friday at 9 a.m.

CALLER: So if my boyfriend brings me, what all does he have to bring?

CLINIC: He needs to bring the same thing. He just needs his photo i.d. And then you need some way to pay for the pregnancy test. Okay?

CALLER: Okay.

CLINIC: All right. Bye bye.

CALLER: Bye.

***END***

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